Sitting all day can cause ‘dead butt syndrome’.
After the pandemic, many of us were left spending more time sitting, it’s important to activate your glutes (butt muscles) right now.
We all know that sitting for extended periods of time can negatively affect our health — but its role in weakening the muscles in your behind is a lesser known concern.
“Dead butt syndrome”, also called lower cross syndrome, gluteal amnesia or gluteus medius tendinosis, occurs when the gluteus medius (one of the three main muscles in the buttock) weakens due to sitting all day.
You may have even felt this happening: After a few hours in a seated position, you stand up and feel a pain or numbness in your backside. It can even advance further causing hip and back pain.
Our glutes help with hip extension, standing upright and other everyday activities like walking or climbing the stairs. More specifically, the gluteus medius is responsible for stabilizing the hip joint and aiding in pelvic rotation. This means that ‘dead butt’ syndrome can cause a decrease in range of motion as well as weakness in that area. It can also cause you to rely on other muscles when exercising, which means you aren’t getting the full benefit of exercises like squats.
The good news is that you can combat this. Getting up and walking consistently throughout the day is an important place to start. Beyond that, performing movements that activate the muscles in your buttocks is similar to stretching in that it reduces injury and stiffness.
These exercises are great to perform before a workout — they will wake up the muscles in your glutes to ensure you are tapping into them when exercising — or as a mini workout on their own.
Glute Bridge
The glute bridge will help you activate and strengthen your glutes before working out. Lie on the floor with your back on the ground and your arms at your sides. Bend your knees so that your feet are flat on the ground. Squeezing your glutes, lift your back and butt off the floor and into the air. Make sure you’re fully engaging your glutes and not relying on any other muscles, like your legs, to lift your body.
Crab walk
For this exercise, you may want to use a resistance band. Begin standing in a half squat position, feet hips-width apart, with the band around your ankles. Take a step towards your right, so that your feet are now wider than your hips. Follow with your left foot. Now walk back to the left, squeezing your glutes with each step. If you don’t have a resistance band, that’s OK. Just be sure to keep your awareness on you glutes and ensure you’re squeezing them with each step.
Claim
The clam targets the gluteus medius specifically, and will also help with hip stabilization and range of motion. Lie down on your left side with your left forearm resting on the floor. Bend both of your knees in front of you. With your feet glued together, keep the bottom leg on the floor while lifting the top into the air, opening your hips. This should activate your right glute. After ten repetitions, lie on your right side and repeat the same process. Make sure you are not involving other muscles that may make this process easier. Consider adding a resistance band around your thighs for extra glute activation
Donkey kicks
Begin on all fours like you would for the fire hydrant. Keeping your knee bent and foot flexed, lift your right leg until your thigh is parallel with the floor and you are “stamping” the ceiling with the right foot. Lower your leg back down and back up towards the ceiling in a continuous motion. Repeat ten times, then switch legs and repeat. When performing this exercise, it’s important to make sure you’re not relying on your quads for help, as it’ll hinder glute activation. So really focus on squeezing your glute as you raise the heel towards the ceiling.
References:
1. Healthline
2. Physiopedia
Compiled by
Sharanya Thomas,
Physical Therapist,
Chiropractic & Physiotherapy Health Centre
